1、For much of the last 400 million years, Antarctica was a warm place, covered with forests and animals. Due to the movement of continents, Antarctica moved from the equator (赤道) to the South Pole, where it is now. Today, Antarctica is the coldest continent on the planet, almost completely covered by
2、a layer of ice, and entirely lacking of animals aside from a few penguins and small insects in the coastal areas.But it wasnt always that way. Antarctica was once part of the supercontinent (超大陆) named Gondwana, which lasted up until about 160 million years ago, when it slowly began to break up. Gon
3、dwana included many continents, such as South America, Africa, Arabia, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Gondwana was one of the worlds two supercontinents, and the other was Laurasia, which included present North America and Asia. It is reported that fossils of some of the earliest life have been
4、found in the surrounding shallow seas. Much of the fossil record of the Antarctica is under the ice, but fossils, including those of dinosaurs, can be found in the Antarctica mountains.As Antarctica began to break away from the supercontinent Gondwana 160 million years ago, cooling began. It moved t
5、owards south, still connected to Australia and South America but separated from Africa. At this point, Antarctica still had a tropical (热带) or subtropical (亚热带) climate, but it was located further south, near the latitude (纬度) of present Australia. Like todays Australia, there were many plants on th
6、e continent.Around 40 million years ago, Antarctica separated from todays Australia and began to cool down even more, its forests dying. Ice and glaciers began to cover the continent, but the final end of Antarcticas life came only about 23 million years ago. It resulted in the continent being cover
7、ed in a miledeep layer of ice, as the snow never melted. Today, Antarcticas ice sheet contains about 70% of all fresh water on Earth.Section_ Introduction_ to promote international scientific projects; 57 58 59 60 61 and to end arguments about who owns the land . Today countries representing 80% of
8、the 62 63 worlds population have signed the treaty. Antarctica has become perhaps the most successful 64 symbol of mans efforts to work together for progress and peace.rivalry/raIvlri/n.(不断的)竞争 50 that 引导定语从句，修饰 rivalry。 51 treaty/triti/n.(国家或政府间的 )条约，公约 52 过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰 treaty。 53 prevent v防止，预防 5
9、4 prevent sb. (from) doing sth.防止某人做某事commercial/kml/adj.商业的 55 in particular(particularly)尤其是，特别是 56 keep free from 使摆脱 57 nuclear/njukli/adj.核的，核能的 test/test/n.试验 58 59 radioactive/reIdiktIv/adj.(具有) 放射性的 60 promote/prmt/v.促进，增进 61 who owns the land 是宾语从句作介词 about 的宾语。 62 represent v代表，象征 represen
10、t .as 把描绘成 63 现在分词短语作后置定语，修饰 countries。 64 第 5 段译文 当今，来自许多国家的科学家到南极洲去研究其资源。一种国际友谊已经代替了存在于许多早期探险家之间的相互竞争。1961 年，包括英国、法国和美国在内的 12 个国家签署了一份条约，使南极洲成为世界上最大的自然保护区。条约的目的在于防止将南极洲用于商业以及军事方面。该条约尤其致力于保护南极洲不受核试验以及放射性废物的污染，推进国际科研项目，并且终止那些关于这片土地所有权的争论。今天代表世界人口 80%的国家已经签署了这份条约。南极洲或许已经成为人类为了进步与和平而共同努力的最成功的标志。Prerea
11、dingPlease match the words with their proper meanings.1depth Ato help sth.to happen or develop2adapt Bthe amount of rain which falls in a particular place3explorer Cto keep sth. in a particular place4trap Da person who travels to unknown places in order to find out more about them5rainfall E to chan
12、ge to suit a new situation6promote Fused to measure how deep something is16 _答案：16 FEDCBALeadinLook at the pictures and tell your classmates what you can see.1Lots of penguins are walking freely.2A mountain is covered by heavy snow and thick ice.3This is the fifth largest continent in the world, Ant
13、arctica.WhilereadingFastreading()What is the main idea of the passage?The passage is mainly about the_introductions_to_Antarctica.()Skim the passage and match each paragraph with their main ideas.Para.1 Athe discovery of AntarcticaPara.2 Bthe background and aim of the Antarctic TreatyPara.3 Cgeneral
14、 introduction of the vast landPara.4 Dplants and wildlife therePara.5 Ea great place for scientific research答案：Para.1 Para.5 CDEABCarefulreading()Choose the best answers according to the passage.1How much of the surface is covered permanently in the ice cap?A90%. B70%.C98%. D80%.2How long does the l
15、ong Antarctic winter night last?A12 centuries. B15 days.C11 centuries. D182 days.3Why are the Antarctic rocks easy to see?ABecause they are white while the background is black.BBecause they are black while the background is white.CBecause t hey are useful while the background is useless.DBecause the
16、y are outer while the background is inner.4Who was the first to land on the Antarctica?AJames Cook.BRoald Amundsen.CGreek geographers.DCarstens Borchgrevink.5What is the aim of the treaty signed in 1961?ATo prevent the commercial and military use of the continent.BTo prevent the research in the Anta
17、rctica.CTo keep the hunters from killing the penguins.DTo avoid the war between the advanced countries.答案：15 CDBDA()Complete the following form according to the passage.Heading Main ideaPara.1 The landAntarctica is an inhospitable place because it is the 1.coldest and the driest place on Earth and i
18、s 2.permanently_covered with ice.Para.2 Plants and animals As a result of its 3.extreme conditions only few types of plants can survive th ere, but it is full of 4.wildlife.Para.3 A great place for researchers Antarctic ice and 5.rocks can give researchers lots of useful information.Para.4 The disco
19、very of AntarcticaAntarctica was the 6.last continent to be discovered and Carstens Borchgrevink was the first man to set 7.foot on the Antarctic mainland.Para.5 The Antarctic TreatyThe aim of the treaty signed by 12 c ountries is to 8.protect Antarctica and Antarctica has become perhaps the most 9.
20、successful_symbol of mans efforts to work together for 10.progress_and_peace.StudyreadingAnalyze the following difficult sentences in the passage.1But the long Antarctic winter night, which lasts for 182 days (the longest period of continuous darkness on earth), as well as the extreme cold and lack
21、of rainfall, means that few types of plants can survive there.句式分析尝试翻译 但是南极洲冬天的夜晚长达 182 天(地球上持续时间最长的黑暗时期) ，而且气候极度寒冷，降水量极少，这意味着很少有植物能在这里生存。2Gases and minerals, in the form of volcanic dust trapped in the ice, can tell us a lot about what the worlds climate was like in past ages.句式分析 本句为复合句，in the for
22、m . the ice 为介词短语作定语，修饰主语 gases and minerals，其中 trapped in the ice 为过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰 volcanic dust, what the . in past ages 作介词 about 的宾语。尝试翻译 这些以火山灰的形式封冻进冰层里的气体和矿物质可以告诉我们很多关于远古时期全球气候的状况。3But more than two thousand years ago Greek geographers believed that there was a large land mass in the south whic
23、h balanced the land in the north.句式分析尝试翻译 但是两千多年以前，古希腊的地理学家就相信地球南边会存在一大块陆地与北边的陆地保持平衡。.阅读理解AWeve colonized most of the world, but one vast stretch of the planet remains beyond our grasp: Antarctica. This frozen continent at the end of the earth has never been permanently occupied by man. Even if your
24、e traveling there on a cruise ship, as most people do, the solitude (孤独) and the emptiness will envelop you. Not that solitude is the first thing that comes to mind when youre standing in the middle of a penguin colony on an Antarctic shoreline. When I visited in early February, there were thousands
25、 of birds packed tightly on every rock, both shy gentoo penguins and the bolder adlie penguins. They seemed happy to see us wandering among them; our cameras clicked crazily at the grey fluffball chicks who are tapping their parents beaks (鸟嘴) to be fed. But penguins are by no means the only stars o
26、f the show here. I found it equally exciting to see a wandering albatross (信天翁 ) circling above our ship, dipping its great wings into the rolling waters of the Drake Passage. Or fat elephant seals rest on the beach in a soup of algae (海藻), shouting at each other like elderly mem bers of a gentlemen
27、s club. Most exciting of all, though, were the whales. As the call went up from the bridge of our ship “Humpbacks！” we spotted three of them leaping from the water, their magnificent tails emerging and dipping as if in slow motion, so close that we could see their great heads, their eyes and blowhol
28、es. Just as vast and attractive are the icebergs. The glassy world of the Weddell Sea is a fantastic picture of icy skyscrapers stretching to the horizon. Some are whipped by wind and water into fantastical shapes oriental (东方的) palaces, ruined fortresses, an Art Deco cinema. All of the above is exa
29、ctly what makes a voyage here so extraordinary. A journey to Antarctica is a travel experience as special as you can have.语篇解读：作者描述了自己到南极去的一次旅行经历，在作者的笔下一切都充满了生机和活力。1We can infer from Paragraph 2 that penguins _.Aare mostly shyBare not afraid of humansCdislike the presence of humans Dhide their chick
30、s from humans解析：选 B 推理判断题。根据第二段第三句中 “They seemed happy to see us wandering among them”可知，企鹅似乎对人类在周围徘徊感到高兴，说明它们一点也不惧怕人类。2What is the most exciting in Antarctica according to the author?APenguins. BThe whales.CThe icebergs. DElephant seals.解析：选 B 细节理解题。根据第四段第一句 “Most exciting of all, though, were the
31、whales.”可知，作者认为最令人激动的是见到鲸。3Which of the following is TRUE about the icebergs?AThey lack attraction.BThey look cold and lifeless.CThey are huge and frightening.DThey are beautiful and in different shapes.解析：选 D 细节理解题。根据第五段可知，冰山形态各异、闪闪发光，它们在作者的笔下也显得生动而美丽。来源:学科网4Where does the passage probably come fro
32、m?AAn ad. BA news story.CA travel journal. DA research paper.解析：选 C 推理判断题。综合全文，特别是最后一段 “A journey to Antarctica is a travel experience as special as you can have.”可知，本文节选自游记。BAntarctic seabirds are breeding (繁殖) later, because thinner sea ice is causing their food supplies to decline, a new study sa
33、ys.The birds, which nest in East Antarctica, have delayed their spring arrival by an average of nine days and egglaying by an average of two days over the past 50 years, according to polar researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research in Villiers en Bois, France. Study authors
34、Christophe Barbrand and Henri Weimerskirch attribute this later breeding activity to decrease in sea ice caused by climate change.The researchers say the disappearing sea ice, combined with a longer seaice season, has interfered with the birds breeding cycle by reducing the amount of krill (磷虾) and
35、other prey (猎物) available in early spring in Antarctica.Because Antarcticas seasons are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere, spring on the icy continent begins in October.The study is based on data collected at seabird colonies between 1950 and 2004 in Adlie Land, on the eastern edge of the fr
36、ozen continent.The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Of the nine species studied, some arrived up to 30 days later than they had in previous years.Despite much later arrivals, the birds are laying their eggs at pretty much the same time as they ha
37、d in the past.In the most extreme cases, birds were laying their eggs an average of 3.7 days later in the season than they were 50 years ago.语 篇 解 读 ：本 文 主 要 介 绍 了 生 活 在 南 极 洲 东 部 的 海 鸟 推 迟 繁 殖 的 原 因 。5. What is the passage mainly about?ASeabirds are breeding later in East Antarctica.BThe amount of
38、krill in the ocean has decreased.CThe weather in Antarctica has changed.DThe spring in Antarctica is beginning later.解析：选 A 主旨大意题。纵观全文，主要介绍的是现在生活在南极洲东部的海鸟的繁殖期由于气候变化而延后。6In which of the following months is it autumn in Antarctica?AOctober. BSeptember.来源:学科网CNovember. DJune.解析：选 D 推理判断题。根据第二段第二句可推知南极
39、6 月应是秋天。7How many kinds of seabirds were studied by the researchers?ATwo. BFive.CNine. DThirty. 来源:学+ 科+网解析：选 C 细节理解题。根据第五段可推知研究了九种鸟。8What does the underlined word “attribute”in Para.1 mean?AContribute. BCause.COwe. DDevote.解析：选 C 词义猜测题。研究者认为这种推迟的生育行为是由于气候变化海冰减少而引起的。attribute . to .“认为由引起或产生” ，C 项与之
40、相符。CThe Arctic is a polar region. It surrounds the North Pole. Like Antarctica, the Arctic is a land of ice and snow. Antarctica holds the record for a low temperature reading 125 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. Reading of 85 degrees below zero is common in Antarctica. Winter temperatures average 30
41、degrees below zero in the Arctic. At the South Pole the winter average is about 73 degrees below zero.One thing alone makes it almost impossible for men to live in Antarctica and in parts of the Arctic. This one thing is the low temperature the killing chill (寒冷) of far North and the polar South.To
42、survive, men must wear the warmest possible clothing. They must build windproof shelters. They must keep heaters going at all times. Not even for a moment can they be unprotected against the belowzero temperatures.Men have a way of providing for themselves. Polar explorers wrap themselves in warm co
43、ats and furs. The cold makes life difficult. But the explorers can stay alive.What about animals？Can they survive？Do we find plants？Do we find life in the Arctic and in Antarctica? Yes, we do. There is life in the oceans. There is life on land.Antarctica, as we have seen, is a cold place indeed. But
44、 this has not always been the case. Expedition (探险) scientists have discovered that Antarctica has not always been a frozen continent. At one time the weather in Antarctica may have been much like our own.Explorers have discovered coal in Antarctica. This leads them to believe that Antarctica at one
45、 time was a land of swamps and forests. Heat and moisture must have kept the trees in the forests alive.语篇解读：文章首先介绍了南极和北极的气温，然后介绍了人类与动物在极地的情况以及科学家对南极过去环境情况的猜想。9The lowest temperature that man has ever known was recorded _.Ain Antarctica Bin the ArcticCat the North Pole Din the polar region解析：选 A 细节理
46、解题。由第二段第二句可知，史上最低气温是在南极地区测得的。10Polar explorers can stay alive there because they _.Astay inside the building thereBhave their own way to keep warmCare stronger than other people来源:Z#xx#k.ComDhave no heaters and windproof shelters解析：选 B 推理判断题。由第五段第二句 “Polar explorers wrap themselves in warm coats and
47、 furs.”可知，极地考察队员有自己的保暖方法。11Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?AMan can survive in polar areas as long as they can keep warm.BDespite the cold, both animals and plants can be found in polar areas.CAntarctica has not always been so cold as it is today, nor has the Arctic.DAt o
48、ne time, the weather in Antarctica was so warm and damp that trees grew there.解析：选 C 推理判断题。由倒数第二段可知，文中只提到南极曾经并不是一个寒冷的大陆，但并没有提到北极，所以 C 项的描述不确切。12Whats the main idea of the passage?AThe Arctic is colder than Antarctica.BThe history of the Arctic and Antarctica.CThe discovery in the Arctic and Antarctica.DThe environmental features in polar regions.解析：选 D 主旨大意题。文章首先介绍了南极和北极的气温，然后介绍了人类与 动物在极地的情况以及科学家对南极过去环境情况的猜想。所以 D 项正确。.阅读七选五We spend hours every day doing things that arent necessa
